Our district is the most diverse district in the City of Houston with high crime rates and one of the highest murder rates in the city. Many crimes go unreported because of mistrust between the community and law enforcement. For years, I have worked in partnership with residents, law enforcement, civic groups, nonprofits, landlords and apartment managers on bridging that gap and building trust with a goal of reducing crime, increasing reporting and improving public safety.

For the past decade, I have been involved in organizing the Gulfton Parade and Festival. I have used this event as a platform to facilitate healthy community/police interactions and engage apartment complex management to collaborate on solutions to address crime in local apartment communities.

I have implemented “Neighborhood Conversations”, a partnership with bilingual HPD officers, apartment management, residents and community volunteers to provide a forum within public areas of apartment communities for residents to bring community concerns and public safety issues to apartment complex management and work together to empower the community to report crime. I have also made it very family-friendly and utilized residents and community volunteers to serve as translators to ensure ALL resident's needs are being met.

In response to the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old who was then left in the complex laundromat, I brought a “National Night Out” event to bring awareness to this tragedy and facilitate a dialogue about how to improve community safety.

As your next Councilwoman, I will continue my work with different community groups to ensure we continue to strengthen our police/resident interactions and to make sure District J becomes safer.

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MOBILITY

District J has the highest Metro ridership of any region in the City of Houston with 4 of the 12 most dangerous intersections in the City of Houston located. I believe that the 4th largest city in the country should have a robust and equitable multimodal public transportation system, safe sidewalks, and bikeways. The residents of District J deserve to be able to get to and from work and school safely and on time.

My mother is a housekeeper at a Medical Center hotel who takes the bus to and from work every day. I see firsthand the impact that frequent route delays have when she’s left standing in the cold, or the rain or by herself on the street at night after a long day of work.

In my work at the City of Houston Multi-Service Center, I see the challenges that disabled seniors face when utilizing Metro LIFT. They are frequently late and, often, the Metro LIFT will show up across the street and expect a disabled senior to cross a busy intersection to access the vehicle.

Currently, I’m working with Together for Safer Roads to kick off a project that will identify what infrastructure and behavioral changes need to take place to improve transportation safety on the particularly dangerous stretch of Hillcroft, from Bellaire to High Star.

As your next Councilwoman, I will work hard to bring a robust and equitable system for the district and the city.

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AFFORDABLE AND QUALITY HOUSING

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Having a home and shelter is a right, not a privilege. The growing homeless population in the City of Houston has drawn national attention, and we can’t continue to criminalize individuals for having nowhere else to go.

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Through my work with the Mayor’s Complete Communities Initiative, I’ve worked with housing and community leaders to assess Gulfton’s housing needs and develop an action plan to improve the quality of life in apartments by renovating and upgrading structures.

District J is home to hundreds of multifamily units, and we must ensure that they are safe, clean, and inviting homes for each family that resides within them. Unlike what we see today, apartment complexes should ensure that they are supporting the needs of their tenants. We must support families who rent their homes so that they have access to the resources they need to live a comfortable and prosperous life. Landlords should keep their building up to city codes, and if not, should be held accountable when they don’t. No one deserves to live in a home that’s falling apart or lacking basic necessities.

As your next City Councilwoman, I will make sure our community receives the quality housing they deserve and will work on implementing outreach programs to ensure tenants know their rights. I will also advocate for services for people who are homeless or living with housing instability.

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SMALL BUSINESSES

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Small businesses are critical job creators and promoters of economic growth in the District; however, they often get overlooked by big corporations inside the loop.

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As your next Councilwoman, I will advocate for the existing small businesses in the district and will work tirelessly for business development throughout the District. I will support entrepreneurs by creating a partnership between the business community and my office, and I will ensure minority-owned businesses are well-represented in City government.